A creative, news-focused show about the pandemic and the fights against racism in our communities. We’re working to generate connections in a time of physical distancing and offer a global perspective. On KUNM’s airwaves Sundays at 11 am and available wherever you get your podcasts. This show is part of the Your New Mexico Government project at KUNM, New Mexico PBS and the Santa Fe Reporter. Hosted by Khalil Ekulona and executive produced by Marisa Demarco. (Funding for the project comes fro ...
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Former KUNM News Director and reporter, Hannah Colton, died by suicide at age 29 in November 2020. We have dedicated every episode of No More Normal to our dear friend and colleague since then, and now – for the last episode of the series – we memorialize her life, work and legacy. We in the KUNM newsroom remember Hannah for being a great leader an…
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Almost exactly one year ago former executive producer Marisa Demarco and host Khalil Ekulona were developing NoMoNo using what we learned from the previous four months of covering the pandemic with the show Your New Mexico Government. You might remember, YNMG was 5 days a week. First it was an hour, then a half hour then the schedule changed up a c…
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Music! It drives us to hit the dance floor and creates the landscape of our memorable moments in life. Seeing that music is so influential it is the perfect opportunity to inquire about the people who make the music we listen to. How are musicians faring after taking a year off from performing publicly? What about the venues where we gather to rock…
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Sports has been a form of entertainment for humans since, well... humans. While not all of us get obsessed with our favorite teams and look to flip over police cars when our squad wins the title, we do find ourselves lost in a world of athletic prowess and skill. Sports serve as a great tool to teach lessons to the youth. They learn about teamwork,…
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We are officially a few days into New Mexico’s reopening. Restaurants and venues are now at full capacity. Some people are eschewing their masks and are ready to have some summer fun. But what about people who are not ready to move on? What about the great losses we collectively and individually suffered? How are we supposed to move on, as if nothi…
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New Mexico will be fully reopened on July 1, and people are getting back to what some describe as normal activities. But how can we just get back to normal after we all went through—more than a year of heavy, powerful change? What about all the losses people suffered? Loved ones and friends are gone. Homes taken away. Careers and opportunities disa…
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One hundred and fifty-eight years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, putting an end to slavery in the United States. News traveled slowly in those days—no social media to spread the word. But this executive order took an especially long time to get to all corners of the country: two-and-a-half years, in fact. On Ju…
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For more than a year now, this show has been keeping pace with changes large and small, noting them and documenting them. It’s about looking closely and creating a record of this historic year in human history. It’s also been an unusual time for journalists themselves. Today, we’re talking about the behind-the-scenes thinking and decision-making th…
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Young people in the last decades have had to study more than academics—they’ve had to learn what to do when a person shows up to your school with a gun and starts shooting. And unfortunately those types of skills could help you anywhere these days—even on Capitol Hill. As the American pandemic of gun violence grows, so do the arguments about what c…
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As of Friday, May 14, there have been nearly 16,000 deaths due to guns so far this year in the United States, according to data from Gun Violence Archive. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic, protests about racial equity, and the general election dominated our attention, but that doesn’t mean that other serious matters like gun violence disappeared. D…
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Humans are peculiar. We are capable thoughts, feelings, and expressions ranging from unconditional love to insidious hate. It begs the question: where do we learn those concepts? And then: How do we unlearn them? Here is a good one: How does someone who has been a member of a group that professes hatred of other humans leave that community and ideo…
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After many attempts over what seems like forever, New Mexico has finally passed a law making recreational cannabis use legal for adults. But the rollout is not as simple as lighting a match as special considerations for how this new law will impact New Mexicans must be addressed. It raises a lot of questions: What happens to people with prior canna…
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The illness of racism was here long before Covid-19, but the pandemic brought it out into a brighter focus. It is too blinding not to see it. It is too loud to be silent in its presence. So we are going to make some noise of our own—the kind of noise you can dance to. On Episode 26, we highlight the dialogues we’ve had over the past year with anti-…
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2020 was a long year. We don't have to tell you. It was a constant barrage of reality-shaping events, and it hasn’t stopped. What is different for us now that we are on the verge of—maybe, knock on wood—coming out of the pandemic? How are the leaders we elected approaching their duties now? How are activists applying what they’ve learned to push th…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.22.21
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The 2021 Legislative Session is now over... or is it? Lawmakers ended a whirlwind couple of months by passing 158 bills, but as always the time ran out on dozens of other measures. In today's update we run down the big bills that made it across the finish line, and the ones that will have to wait for another year. One of those bills was the adult-u…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.19.21
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A lot of fireworks throughout the night and into the wee hours of the morning. All of that means we are in for a wild ride in the last day and a half of the 2021 legislative session. Some of the big highlights and takeaways of the last 24 hours: the Land Grant Permanent Fund Amendment (HJR 1) made it through the Senate and appears to be headed to a…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.18.21
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A late night/early morning helps push cannabis legalization legislation one step closer to the finish line. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5-4 to advance House Bill 12 to the full Senate just after 1:30am this morning. That was after hours of amendments and debate, which will no doubt foreshadow an epic showdown when and if the bill comes up …
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.17.21
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A lot of the activity here in the last days of the session, not surprisingly, is focused on money matters. The first order of business each year is of course the budget (HB 2), and that seems to be nearing the finish line with just three and a half days left to go. Also, lawmakers in the House yesterday unanimously approved a Capital Outlay package…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.16.21
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Things are definitely moving fast and furious in the Roundhouse, as you would expect with only 4 and half days left in this year's session. One of the fastest moving bills is House Bill 47, which is the Medical Aid in Dying Measure that recently passed through the full House. It followed suit yesterday in the Senate after more than two and a half h…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.15.21
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A busy weekend in the Roundhouse, capped off by yes votes for Medical Aid in Dying and Mandatory Paid Sick Leave measures. But, the big news of the weekend was the lack of action on cannabis legalization, as both of the remaining bills did not come up for discussion in the Senate Judiciary Committee. One of those bills was actually pulled from cons…
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Twelve months ago, team NoMoNo was busy having conversations about how we were going to make a show that covered the response to a global pandemic. What did we want to talk about? What was not being talked about? What was the vital info? What were the nuances? What life-and-death decisions were being made by public officials. Who needed help—and wh…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.12.21
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We're now just a little over a week away from the end of the 2021 legislative session. And outside of some changes to the state's liquor laws, and pandemic relief for New Mexico businesses, not a lot has crossed the finish line. But, no doubt we are in for a flourish of activity in the last 7 and a half days in the Roundhouse. In today's episode we…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.11.21
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If you are interested in the most inner workings of state government, today's Your NM Government update is just for you! The work Wednesday in the Roundhouse was somewhat overshadowed by technical problems with the virtual proceedings. But a lot of the business that was considered had to do with how the sausage is made, so to speak. Here's a quick …
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.10.21
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And then there were 2 --- cannabis legalization bills. At least that's the way things seem to be shaping up in this 2021 Legislative Session. Yesterday, the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee moved ahead both HB 12 and SB 288, although with changes to both measures. Those changes actually bring the two bills closer in line, with the …
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.9.21
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The big news in the Roundhouse yesterday had nothing to do with specific legislation, but an announcement from the Department of Education that schools should reopen for in-person learning by April 5th. This comes on the heels of another announcement by the Department of Health that all educators and school support staff should be able to get at le…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.8.21
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Another busy week in store for the session, and today also marks the second to last Monday of the 2021 Legislative Session. Lawmakers will definitely have their hands full in these last days, with plenty of high profile measures still to decide. Today we talk the status of House Joint Resolution 1, which is an annual effort to allow the state to ta…
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Where do you get your news? Rather, where do you get your stories? Even more: how do stories shape us? And who are the people crafting these stories—what’s their story? For our second episode on black history, we are looking into storytelling and the people who craft the narrative, offering us insights we may have passed by. We featured stories and…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.5.21
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One of the big stories to come out of the Roundhouse yesterday actually involves Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. State Auditor Brian Colon announced that he was moving ahead with a special audit of the Governor's discretionary fund, after local reporting discovered more than $13,000 in groceries, liquor purchases and dry cleaning over a six-month …
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.4.21
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Thanks for joining us again for this short legislative update, coming to you straight from my garage! We're working on our floors right now, so the usual spot in the closet was taken today. Another busy day in the Roundhouse, including another long night in the House. That will likely continue for the rest of the session as the pattern now is to st…
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When host Khalil Ekulona thinks about his purpose in life, he often thinks of my family. Family is where we get our first lessons and introduction to the world. On Episode 22, Khalil enters conversations with his family about the meaning and purpose of familial love, support, and collective dedication to passing those lessons along. Whatever Khalil…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.3.21
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A definite potpourri of legislative topics for you today, starting with an update on proposals to deal with the learning loss caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk about some movement regarding predatory lending practices in New Mexico, which spurred several hours of debate yesterday in the Roundhouse. Our partners at the Santa Fe R…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.2.21
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The week started off with some legislative drama, both on the Senate Floor and in committee. We run down some of the big news, including a potential compromise on efforts to reform how the state handles the once a decade process of redistricting. NMPBS Executive Producer Kevin McDonald runs down some of the key highlights from Monday and previews s…
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Your NM Government: Roundhouse Update | 3.1.21
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Today, we kick off our daily updates on the 2021 Legislative session, which is now in the home stretch. A busy weekend was kicked off last night by a narrow vote in favor of mandatory paid sick leave in New Mexico. You can read more on that vote from Daniel J. Chacon at the Santa Fe New Mexican. Also in this update we check in on the progress of ca…
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Your NM Gov: Slow Growing Support For Cannabis Legislation
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Cannabis is the topic. As part of the continuing coverage from Your New Mexico Government it is time for an update on the legislative session at the Roundhouse. To discover more about the Cannabis legislation under debate at the state Capital, KUNM's Khalil Ekulona sat down with Juile Ann Grimm, editor for The Santa Fe Reporter. ***** Your New Mexi…
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It's the return of our Old-School Shoutout Show on Episode 21. The first one, we did back in May. Now, as the pandemic wears on, we wanted to hear from callers: Who do you love? Who do you miss? Who do you want to celebrate or honor? We did the episode live this year. Because of the rules around copyright, we can't post the audio as it aired with s…
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Your NM Gov: Climate Bills Reach Committee
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Your New Mexico Government is continuing its coverage of everything that happens at the Roundhouse with an interview of Laura Paskus from New Mexico PBS. Paskus talks about the Clean Water Act, SB 86, which proposes regulations on oil & gas companies in regards to produced water. And she tells us all about the Climate Solutions Act, HB 9, which loo…
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We get into what money really is. We take a dive into a bill that looks to create a public bank. We talk with a member of a financial innovation group about how universal basic income has helped businesses during the pandemic. We grapple with student loans. We hear the journey of how difficult it is to start a business as a pandemic is raging. And …
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If you have listened to the show for a while, a few months back, you may have heard an interview we had with Stephen Heintz, a co-chair of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. The commission is charged with discovering ways to activate participation of U.S. citizens in democratic civil life. So that's what they did. After spend…
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Our democracy is being tested right now. It is not the first time. But it feels like a tipping point, and our very lives are in the balance. Can we find truth? Will we come to a place of peace? Can we resolve not to look the other way when the view is uncomfortable? Will those who stormed the Capitol, who aided and abetted seditionists, and who pro…
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Anyone who’s been paying attention to racism and white privilege in this country knows that what happened in D.C. has been brewing a long time. There’s a lot of good research and reporting happening right now outlining what’s been missed, suppressed and ignored when it comes to the rise of extremist militias in the U.S. We get into it in episode 17…
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Wow, we just had a tense bunch of days, each one filled with anticipation and impatience and consternation. From people worrying about how the election was going to play out, to some keeping an eye on potential violence, it would be an understatement to say that anxieties were high. It makes sense, 2020 has been mad anxious as my East Coast compatr…
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The final presidential debate of 2020 got passing marks because the candidates managed to take turns. But rarely did they roll out the kind of action plans the moderator was looking for. She kept asking: If elected, what will you do about this big problem we are facing? Still, candidates did not venture into specifics. We think that was by design. …
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The NoMoNo team was talking about ideas for our election coverage in early August: The potential for violence, attempts to subvert the vote and the importance of media literacy. It is not hyperbole to state that for most of us, this is the most important election we have ever taken a part in. That said, it is imperative that we are not only informe…
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Attack ads and contemporary political rhetoric about crime have a disturbing campaign ancestor: The Willie Horton ad that may have cost Michael Dukakis the presidential election in 1988. It relied on racism for its efficacy, and it ushered in an era of so-called "tough-on-crime" laws and posturing that nearly broke criminal legal systems, like the …
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Let’s take a breath. In episode 12, we try to fend off that wild pandemic election news cycle we’ve been living inside of, which can feel like a deluge of disorganized tragedies and failures. And we put the focus on what’s hanging in the balance these next couple of weeks as we cast our ballots. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree: cli…
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Millions of people around the U.S. have already voted early. Simultaneously many people are preparing to fill out their ballots, but are concerned with how they will deliver them, and, more importantly, if their vote will be counted. So many questions. Here at NoMoNo, we are going to dig deep to find answers for you. Episode 11 is all about preserv…
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The census is one of the more important events in our democracy. Every 10 years each person is counted so that resources can be allocated, programs created, and a general understanding of the population is had. It should be a clean process. Should be. The 2020 census has proven to be anything but clean. Mud has been thrown on the process, as people…
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Highlights From The Last 6 Months—Or 1,000 Years?
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he crew at NoMoNo headquarters takes a look at where we’ve been since the pandemic started, reflecting a little—hard to find time to do it when we’re all stuck in an unending news cycle. But hopefully, this is a pleasant look back if you’ve been hanging in there with us. We want to thank all of you who listened to the show when it was Your New Mexi…
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As the summer season transitions into fall, it is important to note that September, the ninth month of the year, isn’t just for football and the start of school. It is also a month to raise awareness of suicide prevention and recovery. Both are already long-standing issues in our society—especially here in New Mexico. Coupled with the pandemics of …
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Summer is winding down and harvest season is quickly approaching. The change of the season is always very beautiful, but before the excitement of the leaves changing colors begins, we have to understand the dangers that many people are facing. With food security concerns around the state and a potential eviction crisis on the horizon it is importan…
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